Improvement in clothes-driers



2 Sheets-Sheet I. A. S. ROBINSON.

CLOTHES DRIER. N 179,61Q 13.9.1 Patented July 4 1 975 zbzfsses QM 0%? M 2 Sheets-Sheet Z.

A. S. ROBINSON. CLOTHES DRIER.

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No.179,610. Patented Ju1y'4,1876.

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ALBERT S. ROBINSON, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND THOMAS FAWELL, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CLOTHES-DRIERS.

Specification forming part of- Letters Patent No. 179,610, dated July 4, 1876; application filed May 15, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ALBERT S. ROBINSON, of the city and county of Albany, and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Folding Glothes-Driers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing, which forms part of this specification.

My invention is specially designed for the support and extension of clothes and textile fabrics while drying, either in or out of doors; but it is well adapted for towel-racks, and for r the support of goods exposed for sale in showwindows of shops and stores. It consists, partly, in detachable upward-folding arms or bars,in combination with peculiarly-construct ed attachments, and a standard for the support of said bars or arms, and partly in a combination of certain of these attachments with a system of independent springs, which act to retain the said bars orarms in position when folded, the whole forming a very neat, simple, and convenient article for any of the purposes hcreinbefore specified.

Figure l in the accompanying drawing is partly a side elevation and partly a sectional view of my improved clothes-drier unfolded and in position for use. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same folded up. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same with parts arranged for use. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the bar-socket, and attachments of the same to the standard, with the parts in the position occupied when the arms or bars are unfolded. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the same with the parts in the relative position occupied when it is desired to detach said bars from the standard.

S, Figs. 1 and 2, represents the standard, preferably provided with folding legs L, when designed for indoor use, but which,-for outdoor use, may dispense with said folding legs, and may be inserted in the ground, if desired. Said standard is preferably made in two parts, which are put together by a cylindrical mortise, 'm, Fig. 1, and cylindrical tenon t, the joint being made easily fitting, to allow the upper part of the standard, with its attachments, to turn freely about the vertical axis thereof. Upon the standard S are fitted detachable rings 1', (shown in section in Figs. 1, 4, and 5,) each of said rings being fastened to said standard by a screw inserted through it into the standard, the removal of which screws arms or bars a in a horizontal position when unfolded, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The'arms a. are inserted in the bansoclrets b, and are fastened therein by pins, rivets, or bolts 19, Figs. 1 and 4. The bar-sockets b are formed with L'shaped slots 01, extending horizontally entirely throughthem, for the reception of the pinsp in the lugs l, and with vertical slots 6, for the reception of the said lugs; and the ends of the lugs, where they meet the sockets, are formed on the arcs of circles struck from the centers of the pins 19, the inner ends of the vertical slots 0, which meet the ends of the said lugs, having the same curvature. The tops of the said lugs are cut away at the outer ends, to allow the shoulders h, Figs. 4 and 5, on the bar-sockets I) to pass up and over the tops of the lugs l, into the position shown in Fig. 5, which is the position for detaching the arms or bars a from the standard S. i

The lugs l, constructed as described, may be singly inserted into and fastened in the standard S, if desired; .but I prefer attaching them to the rings r, as herein described, as they are thus more readily detachable for purposes of packing and transportation.

Under each ring 1', and lying between said rings and shoulders h, Fig. 1, on the standard S, are radial springs 8, Figs. 1 and 2, one for each bar or arm a. I prefer to join each set of these springs together by an annulus,

which underlies each of the rings r, between said'rings and shoulders h of the standard, and to keep each set in proper relation with the ring, which rests thereon, by a set-screw passing through said annulus into thesaid ring; but other modes of fastening the springs may be adopted.

When-the rings 4 are removed from the standard, together with the bars a, the said bars may he turned upward into the position shown in Fig. 5. In this position the said bars may he slipped off from the lugs l, the pin 19, which in all other positions prevents the detachment of said bars, sliding out of the L- shaped slot d,- bnt While the said rings 1' are on the standard, the bars a cannot be detached from the lugs I, because the standard S will not permit the said bars to be turned far enough to release the bar-sockets b from their engagement with the pins 19.

Each set or series of arms or bars a is, moreover, so arranged on the standard S that the arms of each series overhang the spaces between the arms of the next lower series. This arrangement permits the several sets of bars to be placed nearer together on the said standard than could otherwise be done, and yet allows the articles hung on said bars to hang freely, and without interfering with the articles hung on the bars below. A further advantage of this arrangement is, that the bars of each series fold up in the spaces between the bars of the next series, which enables the whole apparatus to be very compactly folded together, as shown in Fig. 2.

I claim 1. The combination of the upward-folding bars and the bar sockets b, having the L-shaped slots d and the vertical slots 0, with the lugs l, the pins 19, and the standard S, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The rings 1", having the lugsl and pins 10, in combination with the independent springs s and the slotted bar-sockets b, to secure the arms a when folded, substantially as described.

. ALBERT S. ROBINSON. Witnesses:

FRED. HAYNEs,

BENJAMIN W. HOFFMAN. 

